Me Llamo Jaime Reyes
by Black Licorice Addict
Summary: My name is Jaime Reyes. I'm sixteen years old. And I've made a terrible, terrible mistake. Set post-"Fix."


**A/N: If this seems familiar, I stole the idea from my "Terrible Things" chapter from Radio Nowhere. Jaime-centric with hinted Jaime/Cassie. Because I have no control over my shipping-happy trigger fingers. Warning, this is fairly angsty. No fluffy kittens or happy giraffe babies or silly baby penguins. **

**Disclaimer: No soy dueño de Young Justice :(**

* * *

**Me Llamo Jaime Reyes**

_Me llamo Jaime Reyes._

_Tengo dieciséis años._

_Y los Reach me están controlando._

Jaime had been reciting that phrase for the past twelve days like a lifeline. It was the only thing keeping him sane, keeping him from forgetting himself, from losing himself in a body he could no longer call his.

The worst part was that he was blindingly, excruciatingly, completely _aware_. He could see everything happening around him, could feel and taste and smell and hear all the input his sensors automatically collected_._ He smelled the dank mildew of the new base, felt Impulse's hand slug his shoulder for another mission accomplished, tasted the victory ice cream, and heard Wonder Girl's melodious laugh reverberate against his ear drums.

He was subjected to everything, only the experiences were all wrong. His nose didn't crinkle at the pungent odor lingering in the dark places of the warehouse, nor did the ice cream cause his toes to pleasantly curl as brain freeze set in. Bart was observed with cool indifference, as one might ignore a pesky mosquito unless it buzzed right by your ear. No longer did the mere sight of Cassie cause his stomach to do abdominal acrobatics nor his palms to become sweaty.

Jaime knew he had been replaced with a subpar actor. He just hoped someone else would figure it out before it was too late.

* * *

_My name is Jaime Reyes._

_I'm sixteen years old._

_And I can't stop hurting the people I love._

The Reach was surprised the meat had managed to retain any semblance of self after that first month. It was a nuisance at worst; the young host's body was subject to drastic biochemical fluctuations that were difficult to control and maintain at consistent levels. Jaime's knowledge base was another irksome setback, having been active for only sixteen planetary solar circuits. But the Reach were gradually learning that despite the apparent shortcomings of a limited experience, the youth's mind was highly adept at learning, processing, and retaining new data. This data could, in turn, be exploited for their purposes.

Except for the fact that the host's mindset was highly uncooperative. And as the Reach soon discovered, where the mind went, the body followed. So, to fully assume control, they had to block Jaime's conscious commands that were emitted by his brain to the rest of his corporal shell. They had yet to figure out how to shut down his unconscious motor commands, but those were practically negligible in their larger schemes save when they prevented him from outright killing people, particularly those he had a strong attachment to.

His immediate relations did not pose a direct threat, but to dampen the willpower of their host, the Reach shut Jaime off from them when he was required to stay in their dwelling. They accomplished this mostly by closing his bedroom door and engaging in minimal interactions between the parental and sibling units. Excuses of studying and catching up on homework were readily accepted, leaving the Reach puppet at liberty to accomplish his masters' plans.

Jaime's friends, however, were a much more volatile, unpredictable group of individuals, each with their own agenda. Their relationships to Jaime also varied greatly, making it more difficult to behave naturally with each person. The same act that worked on Nightwing did not fool Tye. On the other hand, the Impulse seemed so relieved to know that his worst nightmares had been fixed by Green Beetle that he had dropped his guard. And Wonder Girl... Well, Jaime's biochemical fluctuations around the blonde made the Reach nervous enough that they tried to limit any and all exposure to her by their host.

Overall, the Reach had much success in infiltrating the team by simply remaining silent, standing off to the side and offering minimal input unless it was required. Jaime had been a brooding, quiet team member, and it maddened him to see his friends through the sinister orange lenses, completely unaware of the damage he was wreaking.

* * *

_Me llamo Jaime Reyes._

_Tengo dieciséis años._

_Y voy a matar mis amigos._

Blood. All over his hands. All over his armor. It dripped through his fingers, down his chest, plopping to the floor in a sound so quiet it would require the scarab's enhanced hearing to detect.

He wasn't sure if the blood was his or his team's. Bodies lay around him, motionless. Jaime wondered if the Reach could feel the dizzying nausea threatening to overcome him. He had done this. He had rendered his team helpless, and now he was preparing to send them across the galaxy to a place where probability of rescue was absolutely minimal.

Never before had the Reach felt such a surge of rebellion coursing through their pawn as they did now. Twice they had nearly lost control, hastily attempting chemical sedation until they could regain their foothold. This only seemed to spark further insurgence. The Reach was losing the battle, but they still retained enough control to play the last ace up their sleeve.

The sonic canon morphed into its plasma counterpart before being carefully aimed at his nearest teammate. Blue eyes glared back from underneath a mop of blonde hair, widening in realization at what was about to transpire.

"You have two options Jaime Reyes," he felt himself say in a harsh tone that sounded completely wrong coming from his mouth. "You can cease fighting the armor's control and your teammates will be transported without further harm. Or you can continue to struggle, and we will begin to eliminate each one until you successfully break our hold."

_You're bluffing_, Jaime thought angrily, fighting harder against the Reach's influence. The plasma canon glowed menacingly.

"I assure you, I am not," his voice replied in a deadly whisper as the canon hummed at full capacity.

Jaime observed his unconscious teammates, saw Wonder Girl's horrified face, her arms desperately struggling against the blue staples. There was no way he could completely break the Reach's hold over him in time to save Cassie or anyone else from the plasma beam.

The teen could feel his face contort into a smug grin as the armor reasserted complete control over his body. "Didn't think so," he smirked before morphing his hand into a large metal block and knocking Wonder Girl out cold.

_My name is Jaime Reyes._

_I'm sixteen years old._

_And I WILL stop the Reach,_

_Or I will die trying._

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A/N: _Me llamo_ and_ me nombre es_ are used interchangeably where I am from, although _me llamo_ technically translates to "I am called..." It can also mean "My name is..." Hope that made sense.

First translation: My name is Jaime Reyes, I am sixteen years old, and the Reach is controlling me.

Second translation: My name is Jaime Reyes, I am sixteen years old, and I'm going to kill my friends.


End file.
